


White Lie

by Broken_Synchronicity



Series: omne trium perfectum [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Albino Keith (Voltron), Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith (Voltron) has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Keith cries a lot in this and I'm sorry, Keith is a bit of a mess, Korean Keith (Voltron), Lance is a sweetheart, Lotor is also an Albino, M/M, Pidge will fight you if you hurt Keith, keith is TRYING, mentions of past bullying, well it's discussed but not actually shown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 06:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12699471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Synchronicity/pseuds/Broken_Synchronicity
Summary: "Keith, are you sure you're going to be ok?""Yes, Shiro. I'll be fine. I've got this, honest."Keith was wrong. So very wrong.And of course he told his brother that he'd be fine in a college dorm. He had his prescription sunglasses and broad spectrum sunblock, had all of his UPF clothes and he found a lot of shady spots in case he was outside for extended periods of time somehow unprepared. He'd figured out how to make himself normal. As possible as it was when he had Albinism.But that had still left his hair. Stupid, shitty, brightfuckingwhite hair.Prompt; A bottle of hair dye, a blanket, a promise





	White Lie

**Author's Note:**

> .... I feel like this turned a bit OoC towards the end, but eh. *shrugs*
> 
> I... really like the idea of white-haired Keith from the proto-design, but I know it would look like shit in the canon style. So instead, take this thing, because this prompt felt so obvious when I thought about it.

"Keith, are you sure you're going to be ok?"

"Yes, Shiro. I'll be fine. I've got this, honest."

Keith was wrong. So very wrong.

And of course he told his brother that he'd be fine in a college dorm. He had his prescription sunglasses and broad spectrum sunblock, had all of his UPF clothes and he found a lot of shady spots in case he was outside for extended periods of time somehow unprepared. He'd figured out how to make himself normal. As possible as it was when he had Albinism.

But that had still left his hair. Stupid, shitty, bright _fucking_ white hair.

Kids, especially orphans with many, many unresolved issues, were so very cruel. He'd been in the system long enough that any confidence Keith could have ever possibly developed in his appearance had been yanked, ripped out, cut and mercilessly, brutally teased until there was nothing left.

When the Shirogane family had finally adopted him, the damage was done. Keith refused to leave the house if he didn't have his hair covered. The idea of going to school, where he wouldn't have been allowed to do that, was shot down with the slam of a door and the click of a lock.

Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane, for all their support in trying to take care of him, paying for all the special supplies and medical treatment he needed, didn't know what to do to help Keith feel more comfortable with his appearance.

Then, Takashi, patient, reliable Takashi, walked in with a box of hair dye, some kind of brow makeup, and mascara, like it was the most obvious answer in the world. His parents hadn't thought of it because they wanted Keith to be confident in his white-haired self. (That and Keith was only 10 at the time. Too young to be dyeing his hair and putting on makeup.)

But Keith couldn't handle that anymore. He hated it, not being normal, not having normal colored hair. And Takashi listened. Bought the dye and makeup because it was easy and fast and would give everyone what they wanted without anymore unnecessary argument.

The Korean boy had never felt so relaxed on that first day of school with his new all black hair. No one looked at him strangely or teased him. His anxiety would spike back up when his roots began to show, but Takashi would always do them until Keith was old enough to do it on his own.

No one knew Keith without his black hair. At least, no one his age. The school had to know of his medical history, but outside the teachers giving him a seat away from the windows and the nurse keeping a bottle of his sunblock, everyone thought Keith an extremely pale asian kid. He was still awkward and guarded and his brooding nature and short temper put people off but that was fine. The less people wanted to be around Keith, the less chance they would find out. The only thing left that even could give it away was his eyes, how he knew that sometimes they shined red or the odd pale purple-blue, but no one really looked long enough to see it.

He coasted all the way through high school with little incident. Sure he'd only made one actual friend in that entire time, but Pidge was cool. Hella smart and sassy in the best way. They'd actually known Keith was Albino because Pidge's brother was Shiro's best friend and they told each other everything, and they didn't judge his need to hide it. He could talk to Pidge about conspiracy theories and he'd let them go on and on about some computer thing.

So, when the two of them graduated high school, they made a pact to get eachother through college. They were both accepted to Altea Tech, and there was a co-ed dorm with space that they could both get into. The dorm was closer to the Science building where Pidge's classes were, but it wasn't too far off from Keith's building so it was fine. Keith liked the exercise.

The problem was their dormmates.

Well, one _particular_ dormmate. Hunk was fine for the most part. A bit skiddish sometimes, but a literal god in the kitchen and a brain for mechanics like Keith had never seen. He and Keith could talk hours away on just car engines. He didn't really talk to Axca, but there was a mutual quiet understanding and respect, and their RA was pretty ok in a similar way.

The problem was one Spanish speaking boy named Lance.

Honestly, Keith had no idea what he did to this guy to warrent half the shit the two of them got into. Lance would taunt or tease him, particularly about the way his hair apparently resembled a mullet (always, _always_ his goddamn _hair_ ,) and it was all too easy for Keith to take whatever bait had been set. They'd argue or get competitive and it would sometimes end in a disaster that their RA had to step in to finally make them stop.

(Calli was super chill for an RA, but it's a little terrifying when a girl who doesn't even weigh 100 pounds will fearlessly step between two arguing boys larger than her to physically tear them apart if need be. It made him think of Pidge, if said Holt wasn't a little shit and hadn't actively caused a few of the arguments. Keith hoped to never see Calli _actually_ angry.)

But there were times it was... almost fun. Lance and him argued yes, but the two never crossed any lines. Keith could give just as much as Lance could. But the two could usually get over whatever random thing they were arguing about within an hour or two in order to start beating the shit out of eachother in Smash bros. in the common room.

(Keith also couldn't deny that Lance was undoubtedly and unfairly attractive. His poor gay heart was taking a beating on the daily.)

It was- nice. Keith could almost say he and Lance were friends. Not close, but not really acquaintances. Comes with the close proximity, he thinks. And that was ok.

So long as Lance never found out his secret, he thinks it'll be ok.

Until he fucks up.

\----

Lance knows he can sometimes be a bit of a jerk. Sometimes even petty. It comes with being the youngest of a large family, he thinks. He teases and gets under peoples' skin because that's how he learned to bond, to get attention, and to defend himself all at once.

But he's not an _asshole_. He likes to think he's perceptive enough to notice if he's crossing a line with his teasing before it happens.

So when Pidge pulls him aside one day, not too long into their second semester in the dorm together, with an expression of seriousness that he hadn't seen on their face before, he's not quite sure what he did to deserve it.

"Ok, I'm telling you this now before you do anything really stupid." They begin, "It's about Keith, but he can't know I told you this much. Ok?"

Lance stares at his short dormmate in confusion, but relents with a nod.

"Keith is adopted, but that's something he'd tell you anyways. What he won't say is that his life before being adopted, his life in the system, was... bad. I don't know all the details, but it was bad enough that we think Keith developed a form of PTSD."

Lance's eyes go wide. If that's Pidge needs to tell him about, then could he-

"Have I- Did I do something to- I didn't-" _trigger it?_ His throat closes in on him. Because as much as he and Keith go at it, he would never _ever_ want Keith to feel like he wasn't safe. Like he was back wherever it was that had hurt him so badly it still haunted him. Keith didn't deserve that, no matter how much of a jerk he could be.

( _Then again_ , a voice in Lance whispers, _if he's been hurt to that point, wouldn't it be easier to keep people at arms length, to keep from being hurt again?_

His mind attempts to conger pictures of a younger Keith, scared and alone and in pain, but it quickly substitutes with the Keith he knows and it feels so much worse, Keith's pretty, pale face twisted in fear and terror.

So many things about Keith were suddenly making _sense_ and it scared him.)

"No, you haven't."

Lance can't stop the shuddering exhale so full of relief from escaping his body.

"But there are things you do that concern me enough that I'm stopping you now before you accidentally fuck shit up, because I know you're annoying at times, but you'd never hurt someone on purpose."

"Ok." Lance says in a small voice, because it's all he can. "Ok."

"So," they push up their glasses, a little more relaxed than the beginning of this conversation, "as I said, Keith has a case of PTSD. When I met him, Shiro and his family had already done their best to root out the destructive coping mechanisms he had. But there were a few tame ones that they left alone. One was covering up his head."

Lance blinked at the information.

"So that's why Keith has a whole shop's worth of hats and as many hoodies?"

"Yeah, but it goes beyond clothing. It's _anything_ covering his head. One time he was over at my house for a sleepover. He'd been keeping a blanket over his head while we were watching a movie, and I hadn't questioned it. My brother thought he'd be cheeky and sneak up on us, to scare us a bit. But when he'd yanked the blanket off Keith's head... Let's just say Matt's lucky he didn't end up needing to go to the hospital for a broken wrist that night."

"So he's sensitive about his... head being exposed?" Lance tried to make sense of the story. The implications floating around in his head where enough to make him queasy. Pidge sighed and ran a hand through their hair.

"... Kinda. Look, if Keith has something on his head, don't take it off. But if it does come off, for some reason, the best thing to do for him is look away."

"Look away...?" Lance was expecting them to say something more along the lines of 'back away, no sudden movements towards his head.' (Though that was probably an obvious rule of thumb now anyways.)

"Part of it is indeed fear of being hurt, but the cover is less a barrier between him and the outside, and more a means to _hide_. So if it comes off, turn around and look away. Close your eyes, leave if you have to, but the best way to help him is to not look at him."

Lance took a moment to digest all the information he had just been given. He didn't know what all he was feeling, what he _should_ be feeling. All he knew was that he wanted Keith to feel safe enough that he didn't have to hide.

"Ok. I promise I will do my best to not set him off." He's dead serious. Pidge can see it, since they slump forward in relief.

"Thank you."

And Lance does make good on that promise.

Until he fucks up.

\---

It goes like this;

The dorm was lucky enough that it had its own laundry room. At the same time, it meant that everyone in the dorm shared the one washer and dryer in the dorm house.

It was also near the kitchen.

Where anyone could easily walk in.

Keith is fresh out of the shower, his hair still damp and make up washed off. He knows his roots are beginning to show, but no one else is in the dorm right now, so he feels safe enough to wander down to the laundry room without anything. He'd left a load of laundry in the dryer before going to shower, knowing it'd be almost done by the time he go out.

He'd been sitting in his boxers on the floor leaning up against the dryer. Just playing around on his phone. He finished his classes for the day, and he didn't have any tomorrow, so he figured he could do some chores now so that he'd be more free then.

And then Lance walks in, yawning and in his pajamas with a blanket balled up under his arm.

Keith let's out what could only be described as a _shriek_ , drops his phone and quickly balls himself up, hiding his exposed face in his knees, hands automatically finding their place on the back of his head.

"L-Lance, what the hell, I thought you had class today!!" He screeches. His heart's pounding in his ears in time with his thoughts a continuous stream of ' _don't let him see, don't let him see, he can't know, hide hide hide **hide** -_.' He curls up tighter and tries to keep his breathing calm.

Lance startles, nearly letting a scream of his own out, until it registers who he had walk in on.

He doesn't even think about it. All he sees is Keith's pale back curled in on itself, trembling, and registers the _wrongness_ of it. Because Keith is brash, and impulsive, and _passionate_ , and he should never look so _scared_ -

(How many times had Keith taken that exact same position in an attempt to protect himself? His mind flashes potential images. It make his stomach drop like lead.)

Keith nearly jumps out of his skin when he feels clothe fall over him. Lance's own hurried voice cuts through the haze in his head.

"Sorry! I'm sorr- I'm not looking! I promise I'm not! I'll- I'll be in the kitchen, I won't look! You can use the blanket, I don't mind, I promise I won't look!"

Keith hears the scurry of feet leave the laundry room and head into the kitchen. Slowly, he uncurls himself, the blanket sliding with him, and turns to look at where the tanned boy had stood. He's still shaking from the sudden situation, but he's clear headed now. He stiffly pulls the blanket up and off him to look at it. It was thin, but pleasantly soft, and a very pretty cerulean. The only thing wrong with it was the ugly brownish coffee stain marring a portion of it.

Keith glares at the stain like it had personally offended him, but carefully folds the blanket and sets it on the washer. In the commotion, his load in the dryer finished. He quickly sets about gathering everything up, throwing on some of the warm clothes like he'd planned, before grabbing one of his towels and draping it over his head.

He's about to hurry back to his room when he catches sight of Lance, still in the kitchen like he said. He's not facing Keith's direction, instead facing the wall of the counter, hands white knuckling the counter's edge and head hanging. It makes Keith pause and replay the situation in his head. Lance... didn't react normally either. He knows Lance has seen him half naked before, they went swimming in the campus pool together, so why...?

The answer clicks in his head, and really it was obvious as to what happened.

Keith sets his laundry down on the island table and steps up behind the taller, but younger boy, pinching the hem of his pajama top near the hip and holds tight. Lance's head perks up, showing he's noticed Keith's presence.

"Hey," his voice comes out much quieter than he anticipates, "Pidge said something to you, didn't they? About me. Your reaction wasn't exactly..."

He sees Lance tense, but he makes no move to look behind him, instead nodding with a sigh.

"Yeah. Yeah, they- they explained somethings to me, about you having... PTSD. I didn't mean to scare you." Lance didn't see, but his pause before PTSD had nearly stopped Keith's heart. Keith cursed himself for that small instance of doubting his dear friend of keeping his secret. But, this he can work with. It wasn't untrue, just not the whole of it.

Keith sighed and let his head drop the rest between Lance's broad swimmer's shoulders. He felt Lance tense this time, surprised.

"Keith...?"

"I'm..." _Sorry. Greatful. Scared. Hopeful._

The words don't come. Words - _honesty_ \- never came easy for him. But he thinks Lance might understand anyway, if the way he reaches around to clasp Keith's hand in his says anything.

"It's ok." He gently squeezes the pale hand (he still marvels at the striking contrast of their skin tones,) "I just hope one day you'll feel safe enough that you won't feel the need to hide. I promised to do my best to help get you there."

Lance receives only the feeling of a shaky nod against his back in reply, but it's enough.

For now it's enough.

\----

It takes time. These things always take time, but that was ok.

It takes months, many calls to Shiro, a few more incidents, and, the most surprising of all, meeting another Albino for Keith to finally start talking.

It starts after meeting Lotor, the other Albino. He was Axca's friend, visiting from another college, and neither of them had met another Albino before. They talk, and talk, and Keith tells him things he never even told Shiro before, because Lotor _knew_ and could understand in a way no one else could. They exchanged numbers and for the first time, Keith felt a weight he didn't know he had lift from his shoulders.

He and Axca talked more after Lotor went back to his own college. Pidge was glad he had people to talk to about his Albinism.

And then, Keith starts talking even more.

He starts with his RA because he realizes now that Calli really won't care. And she doesn't, and she asks if he wants her to start keeping a spare bottle of his sunscreen for him or keeping track of when he needs to re-dye his hair. She offers him a hug when he looks ready to cry.

He goes to Hunk next. And it's still strange how easy the acceptance is. Hunk hugs him and asks questions so that he can understand better, but never pushes. The Samoan is just so supportive and literal sunshine that Keith almost feels like he can take on the world. Hunk's fresh batch of cupcakes help with that a little.

(He's also the first to ask about Lance, but Keith can't give him a proper reply, not then.)

And Shiro. He's so damn _proud_. Proud that Keith is finally taking these steps on his own, for himself. Shiro always tried to nudge Keith in the right direction, but knew that he wouldn't be enough for Keith to fully come out of that shell. Just guide him down a path that didn't lead to his own destruction.

"I want to meet them." He'd said, the face splitting smile evident in his voice, "I want to meet these dormmates of yours so I can personally thank them all. Maybe pull a Protective Big Bro and threaten them a little."

Keith laughed until he cried.

(Shiro's the second to ask about Lance, but even though he knows the answer now, he won't say, he can't, not yet.)

When it's Lance's turn, it's not really how he planned, but that was ok.

After the first incident, the two of theirs relationship had... tipped? It's _better_. They'd still banter and get competitive, but Lance seemed to... soften. Just a bit. They could joke and hang out without an excuse of some competition, were able to just sit and talk. Lance had kept his promise. Sure there were a few more accidents, but Lance always did his best to keep his eyes off Keith when it did happen. He'd made sure not to startle Keith, kept his hands away from the older boy's head, though he kept the Mullet nickname. Keith had grown used to it, now that it wasn't out of any malicious intent.

It was... honestly the best outcome to have happened.

It was close to Christmas break when Lance invites Keith home with him. Shiro was staying with his Fiancée Allura, and their parents were going to Japan, so Keith would be alone that Christmas, though Shiro had said that Keith was fully welcome to come with him.

Keith wants to agree to go with Lance. God does he want to, but Keith still hadn't told him. It was easy to get away with covering up as much as he needed to in colder times, but he would need to explain things if he was going to sunny Florida with Lance. Like his need to constantly be reapplying his sunscreen every few hours and why he can't go anywhere sunny without his sunglasses and _fuck his roots are starting to show again_ -

"Ok. Yeah, I'd- I'd like that. I'd like to go with you, if you'll have me."

Lance knocks on his door, startling Keith out of his stare down with his open suitcase. Asks if he can come in (because Lance always asks now, and doesn't come in if there isn't a reply.) Keith snatches up one of his beanies and slips it on before telling him to come in. Lance is beaming when he waltzes in, clearly excited about the trip. He plops himself down next to Keith and asks how packing is going. Keith just shrugs and makes a noncommittal sound. Lance attempts to make small talk, but it's two days before they leave for the airport and Keith still hasn't said anything, and right now, he can't even respond properly to Lance. He needs to tell Lance, but why is it so much harder than the others?

Why does his heart have to hold Lance's opinion so high?

Keith hadn't realized he'd subconsciously began to curl up, elbows on his knees and his hands resting on the back of his drooping head.

"Keith, what's wrong?"

He stiffens at the sudden concerned question, his mouth opens to reply, but nothing comes out. He takes a breath and swallows around the lump in his throat. He can see Lance's worried face in the corner of his eye, but he can't look at it too long or he thinks his chest will cave in on itself. Instead he digs through his suitcase and pulls out his face wipes.

He can see Lance's confusion. Lance had face wipes too -had a whole skin regimen and a spa's worth of products- but Lance's wipes were specifically meant to clean his face of oil and grime. The wipes Keith had were very obviously marked for makeup removal on sensitive skin.

He pulls one out and hesitates. It's now or a very awkward, probably highly emotional later. (Because Keith has resolved to tell him. There is no backing out and not telling him, not when he feels-)

His hands tremble, and his movements are jittery, haulting, but he's able to press the wipe to his face and begins the familiar routine of motions.

Lance can only sit and watch as Keith carefully washes away his mask. When he's done, the wipe stained with streaking splotches of black, Keith's hand latches onto the beanie. Keith knows he's full on quaking in his socks by now, but fists the fabric of the beanie and, feeling too much like tearing off a band-aide, slides it off his head.

He's fully exposed now, and he's never been so terrified, but he's done hiding from Lance.

With what little resolution he has left, he turns to face the boy he thinks he's in love with.

Lance is wide eyed and gaping, clearly trying to wrap his head around what he's seeing. He sees white on white and white in black and it isn't until he looks in Keith's eyes, really looks, that everything falls into place.

The awkward lamplight of Keith's room shines at such an angle that, as Keith shakes with nerves and anxiety, his eyes flicker between red, lavender, and the palest blue. He's seen that before. On only one other person.

"Oh." He finally says, and Keith nearly flinches. "Now I get why you and Lotor got along so well. Guess I was wrong in that perspective."

"Wha- _That's_ what you take away from this!? Wait, did you think I wanted to _date_ Lotor or something?"

"Hey, Lotor's a fine specimen of a man, and you two seemed to just click. I definitely wouldn't have blamed you for wanting to tap that. I certainly wouldn't mind taking a shot at it."

"Oh my god, I can't even- you're so- why would you- _arg!_ " Lance falls over laughing as Keith fumbles in his incredulousness of the Cuban's antics. Keith huffs and sends a glare at the still laughing boy, until he realized how... normal the current interaction was for them. Lance wasn't making a big deal out of it. Wasn't teasing him in any way that unusual. Lance seemed to just- accept it and move on. Didn't see anything different with Keith, even though he'd just revealed that he was actually Albino this entire time. That he'd been lying to him this entire time.

The tears are flowing before Keith even realizes they're there.

Lance stopped laughing the second he noticed the tears. He's instantly up, panic replacing his previous amusement. His mind is whirling, trying to figure out why Keith is crying, how to stop it, should he stay, go, _holy shit Keith is fucking crying what does he do_ -

"You don't- You don't care that I..." He has to swallow back a sob, because it's suddenly too much. How can this be real, how has Lance -has _everyone_ \- just accepted Keith for lying to them for so long? Tried to make him comfortable, not demanding that stop dyeing his hair or wearing makeup like he thought they would, instead doing the exact opposite? It doesn't make any _sense_.

"Keith. Keith, buddy, c'mere..." Lance finally acts, carefully bringing Keith into a hug and gently hushing him. He slowly rocks and rubs soothing circles between Keith's shoulders. Keith, in turn, clings to him like a lifeline.

"Keith, listen." Lance's voice quietly vibrates against Keith's ear and it draws a shudder up his spine. "I really am glad you decided to show me this. It must have been so hard. And yeah, I am surprised you've been able to keep a secret like this for as long as you probably have, but that doesn't mean anything has to change. Not unless you want it to. You're still Keith. Aggressive, hotheaded, broody Keith who can't be in the sun like some vampire. But now I know _why_ , and I just want to help, if you'll let me. I promised to help you feel safe, remember?"

Keith is still hiccuping every few breaths as he slowly pulls away to look at Lance, eyes red and vulnerable. Lance slowly reaches up to cup his cheek with one hand and is rewarded with Keith leaning into the touch. He hesitates, but he needs to ask.

"Do you... still want to come with me? To see my family? You don't have to, and if you do, we don't have to tell them anything."

"No! I still- I still want to go. But..." Keith takes a steadying breath. "They... They should know. In case something happens."

"You're sure? I mean, I agree with you on that front, sun soaked Florida probably isn't the easiest place to be for an Albino. But my family is huge, are you sure you're comfortable with all of them knowing? I can just explain the PTSD and we can dye your hair before we leave..."

"No, I... It's... I want... I want them to like me for all of me. I want you to-"

_I want you to like me for me._

_I want to love myself as much as I want you to love me._

"Keith, they would understand if you weren't comfortable with it." Lance smiles earnestly at him. He's got that warm look in his eyes he gets when talking about his family. "One of my brothers, he brought a girl home once. She was terrified of wearing anything other than long sleeves and pants, wore gloves all the time, and refused to go near the water. No one knew why, but we accepted that. Found ways to include her that made her comfortable. It took her three years to tell us why, Keith."

"... Why did she...?" He asks hesitantly.

"The truth was, she had Vitiligo. A disease a bit like your Albinism, I can explain later. Do you know what happened after?"

Keith shook his head against his hand.

"She became my sister-in-law. So Keith, don't think they'd love you any less whether you're hair is black or white or even neon purple. They'll love because _I_ do."

Wait, what-

"You love me...?"

Lance's eyes shot wide as he realized just what he'd said. His face immediately turned bright crimson as he floundered for an explanation. But when he noticed Keith's expression, desperately hopeful and painfully open, he stopped. That kind of expression, did that mean...? His free hand came up to rub at the back of his neck, the other dropping from Keith's face as he shyly glanced away from his intense gaze.

"Yeah." He admitted quietly. "Yeah, I-... I really like you. In a more-than-friends way. I... wanted to tell you sooner, like, before asking you to come home with me. Like, waaaay before. Like, before Halloween, before?"

"For that long...? But, why didn't you...?"

"Well, I think- I've probably felt this way for a lot longer, but it wasn't until around Halloween that I realized it. I kinda... Everything was going really well. With you and I. We were- friends. And it was nice. Really nice, I _loved_ that. But after realizing how I felt I-... I got scared. Of losing you. So I never said anything." Lance gave a strained chuckle and a nervous grin.

"So... Yeah. That's- That's my secret to share. It um... It's fine if you don't-"

Keith cut him off by snatching back the hand that had caressed his cheek. Gently, he pressed the tanned hand back into its former place, holding it there, and Lance then noticed how red Keith's face had turned. Keith wasn't looking at him anymore, instead looking at his lap.

"I-I don't... know if I've felt the same for... as long as you have, but I-... I wanted-... I-... with you-... I lo-"

' _No, you promised no more hiding, no more lying, when you did this, you can't stop now!_ ' Keith's brow twisted in his frustration with himself, eyes burning once more with fresh tears. ' _Tell him! Tell him!!_ ' His mind screamed at him, but his words refused. Why? Why can't he be honest when he really needs to? Keith's angry thoughts paused, however, when a second hand mirrored the first, cradling his face like it was a fragile treasure that could easily shatter.

"Keith," When did Lance get so close? "can I kiss you?"

Keith could only give a tiny nod, but it was enough.

It was chaste. Short. Barely more than a ghosting of lips on lips. But god, it was the most perfect thing either of them had ever felt. After pulling away, both took shuddering breaths and smiled. A giggle escaped Keith as giddy energy filled him and Lance just smiled wider.

"So, one last thing." Lance prompted. Keith smothered his laughter enough to listen.

"My family is kinda under the vague impression I'm bringing my boyfriend to meet them, with how much I've blabbed to them in my excitement." Lance gave him a cocky grin, but his eyes twinkled with such adoration and warmth that Keith's heart felt fit to burst. "Is that ok?"

"Yeah." Keith inched himself closer. "More than ok."

He pressed his lips once more to Lance's.

And honestly? Keith's glad he's been wrong.


End file.
